Relay.



A. A. ZIEGLER.

RELAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26. I9I5.

1,1 85,569i Patented May 3o, 1916.

H 7 IIII 5 III' IMK

'ALFRED A.`ZIEGLER, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REL-AY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1916.

Application filed May 26, 1915. Seria! No. 30,793.

l To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALFRED A. ZIEGLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Relays, of which the following is a specificationl This invention relates'to means for holdinga normally free moving element of an instrument, such as an electrical instrument against shock and disarrangement, especially such as might be due to accidental and violent movements when the mechanism is in transit or in the course of being set up for use.

More specifically the invention has to do with means for securely holding against casual movement and shock, a shiftableelement such as the armature of'a relay. As is well known relays of the inelosed type are hermetically sealed before shipment and such relays are generally constructed with a pivoted armature 'on which are mounted one or more resilient contact-lingers which are delicately adjusted before the instrument is sealed. These contact-fingers are very apt to get out of adjustment in transit, so that the seal has to be broken and the parts readjusted. My invention is especially applicable to apparatus .of this type.

A prime object of the invention is to provide improved means whereby the shiftingelement or elements of the instrument such as the armature, may .be securely locked against displacement when the instrument is assembled and sealed, 1n a manner so as to be secure against movement in transit or While being set up, which means is capable of being readily manipulated to release the armature or movable element when the mechanism is ready for use, while leaving the instrument hermetically sealed, this means being reliably self-locking against further manipulation after it has` once been operated to release the armature.

A further object is to provide a locking and holding-device foi` the armature or like movable element, that while it may be 'only once operated to release the armature without resetting, which would require breaking the scal and removing the inclosing housing,`

is, at the lsame time, capable of being readily reset as often as may be required when the apparatus is overhauled, this being possible since no part of the armature locking and holding-device is damaged or injured in erating parts constituting the present invention. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail illustrating the means for locking the device against repeated operation. Fig. 4 is a similar sectional detail showing the same parts in another position and locked. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 3 and corresponding thereto; and, Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the same parts in the position shown in Fig. 4.

My invention is shown herein embodied in a relay of the type used in railway signaling, such, for instance, as in my applications for Letters Patent No. 452,846, filed September 14, loos. No. 740,775, sled Jan. 8, 1913, it having a holding-plate 1 for the magnets 2, the cores 3 of which extend through the plate. The holding-plate also has fitted thereto numerous binding-posts 4, connected with contact-members 5, within the housing. The holding-plate l has clamped to its under side an inclosing case or bowl 6, which may be of glass, which fits against the holding-plate, adjacent the periphery thereof, and is clamped thereto by suitable means, shown as a holding-bolt 7, with set-nut 8, the

'end of this bolt in practice being formed to receive a suitable seal 9 which may be affixed when the parts are assembled t0 prevent tampering therewith. An armature is indicated at 10. suitably pivoted at 11, to lugs depending from the holding-plate.

This armature may carry one "or mort con- In accordance with my invention, means is provided whereby the armature is locked, so as to be securely held against movement while in transit, and until ready for use, this means being equipped with an element extending without the casing and adapted to be operated once and once only to release the armature, without disturbing the hermetic closure of the instrument, and becomingthen self-locking against further movement until the seal is broken. To this end I provide a latch-plate 1l, pivotally engaged at its rear end by a` pin 15, eccentrically iXed in the end of a short-shaft 0r bolt 16, fitted to turn in the holding-plate 1, having for this purpose a collar 1T, set into the top of said plate and equipped underneath said plate with a bearing-washer 18, and adjusting-nuts 19, fitted to a threaded lower portion 2() of the bolt, whereby it may be adjusted to said plate. The upper end of said bolt has a kerf-head 21, engageable from the top of the holding-plate, this typiying any suitable means adapted to permit an operating-device to be engaged with the bolt for turning it. The latch-plate 14, has at its forward portion an elongated slot 22, through which extends a screw 23, carried by a bracket-block 24, lixed to the plate 1, the head of said screw engaging the latchplate underneath and guiding it Jfor in and out sliding movement. The forward end of the latch-plate 1i, is adapted to engage under the free end of the armature 10, when thel latch-plate is in forward position, as indicated at 25 in Figs. 2 and to hold it against swinging outward, but when the shaft 16, is turned a Vhalf-revolution, the latch-plate is drawn back to release the armature, as indicated in Fig. 6. In a recess 26, at the lower end oi the shaft or bolt 16, and at the other side thereof from the pin 15, is fitted a spring-pressed locking-pin or stud 27, which is pressed against the latch-plate 1li -So long as the latch-plate is in its forward or operative position, as in Figs. 2 and 3, this pin27 is inoperative, but when the shaft or bolt 16 is turned to withdraw the latch-plate, the pin 27 comes into register with a hole 28, through the latch-plate and is pressed thereinto by its actuating-spring, thereby locking the shaft or bolt and latch-plate against any further movement, as shown at 29, Fig. 4i. In lieu of this form ot locking-means other forms of spring-actuated bathing-means may be employedb It 1 -ay new be understood that when the instrument is assembled by the manufacturer to be sent out tor use, the latch-plate 1i and shaft or bolt 16, will be adjusted so as to engage the forward end ot the latch-plate under the armature, to hold it securely against casual displacement during shipment. ll'hen the instrument is set up and ready Yfor use, it is only necessary to turn the shaft or bolt 16 a half-revolution by a screw-driver or like suitable tool, when the armature will be released for use and the shaft or bolt 16 will be at the same time automatically locked against any further turning or meddling with, by the engagei'nent of the pin 27 in the hole 28. It will be noted that for this manipulation there 'is no disturbance at all of the hermetic closure of the instrument, the shaft or bolt 16 being. both before and after operation, closely fitted in the holding-plate and its adjustlnent in said plate being not at all affected by the half-turn given to it. It will be further observed that the armature locking and holding-device consisting` in the latch-plate 1l with its operating-shaft 16 and the mounting and guiding-means therefor, are in no wise injured or atl'ectl by the adjustment thereof for releasing the armature, and hence this armature lockingderice may be readily reset without requiring renewal of any part, as many times as may be required when the apparatus is to be reshipped.

I do not desire to be limited to the precise structural details shown since these lan be modified without departing from the essential attributes of the invention. I. therefore, desire the present embodiment to be considered as illustrative, and not restrictive.

1. A relay comprising a magnet, an armature mounted t'or normal tree operative movement, an inclosing-casing for said armature, and means arranged for holding said armature against movement, said moans consisting in a locking-device movable from armature holding to armature releasing-position, having an operating-portion accessible from without the casing, and means arranged to automatically lock said device from further movement on reaching the armature releasing-position, substantially as described.

2. A relay, comprising a magnet, an armature movably mounted with reference to the pole-piece thereof, an inelosing-casing for said armature adapted to be hermetially sealed, and means tor locking said armature against movement. said means consisting of a member e geable with the armature, and means extending out through the casing for operating said member, said means and member having coperative iuterlocking provision permitting a single increment of said member from armature locking to armature releasing-position and being then self-locking against further a n iovement, substantially as `lescribed.

3. A relay, comprising a magnet. an ar-` mature morably mounted to cooperate therewith, an inclosing-casing tor said armature,

and means for holding said armature against movement consisting of an armature holding-member mounted for movement from armature lholding to armature releasingposition, means for moving said member having an operating-part accessible from without said casing, and means for automatically locking said armature holdingmember in armature releasing-position when moved thereto, substantially as described.

4.. A relay, comprising a magnet, an armature movably mounted to coperate therewith, an inclosing-casing for said armature adapted to be liermetically sealed, and means for holding said armature against movement, said means consisting in a member movable from armature holding to armaturel releasing-position,'and a shaft journaled in said casing, operatively connected with said member and having a portion accessible from without the'casing and formed to receive an operating-device, substantially as described.

5. A relay, comprising a magnet, an armature movably mounted to coperate there- With, an inclosing-casing for said armature adapted to be hermetically sealed, and means for holding said armature against movement, said means consisting ina member movable from armature holding to armature releasing-position, a shaft journaled in said casing operatively connected with said member and havinga portion accessible from without the casing and formed to receive an operating-device, and a locking-member mounted and arranged to automatically interlock said shaft and said armature holding-member from further movement on reaching armature releasing-position, substantially as described.

6. A relay, comprising a magnet, an inclosing-casing adapted to be hermetically se'aled into which a pole-piece of said magnet extends, an armature pivotally mounted lfo'r normal free operative movement to coact with said pole-piece, said armature bearingl contact-lingers, and means for holding said armature against movement, consisting of a latch-plate slidably mounted for movement from armature holding to armature releasing-position, a shaft journaled in said casing operatively connected with said plate, With a portion accessible from without the casing formed to receive an operating-device, and a spring-pressed locking-pin mounted to automatically interlock said shaft and plate to hold them against further movement as said plate reaches armature releasing-position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED A. ZIEGLER. Witnesses:

B. J. Norris, H. B. Davis. 

